to consider spectrum demands for on-board communication stations in the maritime mobile

service in accordance with Resolution358 [COM6/3] (WRC-12)

Background

Resolution358(WRC-12):Consideration of improvement and expansion of on-boardcommunication stations in the maritime mobile service in the UHF bands.

The use of UHF frequencies for on-board communications is consideredvery important, withoutthese, critical functions of the ship in restricted waters could not effectively take place. Thesefunctions include anchoring, berthing, control of fire-fighting/damage control parties, securitypatrols, terrorism threats etc. Whilst these are of significant concern to those operating the shipthe consequences of failure affect not only the seafarer but have significant implication for theimmediate environment the ship is operating in.

may be subject to the national regulations of theadministration concerned. The characteristics of the equipment used shall conform to thosespecified in Recommendation ITU-R M.1174-2.(WRC-07)

A worldwide survey indicates that in several geographical areas, communications by UHF of aship were either prevented on some channels by traffic from other vessels or shore operations orwere severely interfered.

It should also be noted that several Administrations actively use these frequencies for landmobile communications. In accordance with RR No.5.286AA

the bands 450-470 MHz isidentified for use by Administrations wishing to implementInternational MobileTelecommunication (IMT).

According to a rough survey currently, the congested situation rarely occurs in fewbig harbors.

Resolution360(WRC-12):Consideration of regulatory provisions and spectrum allocations forenhanced Automatic Identification System technology applications and for

enhanced maritimeradiocommunication

In regards toresolves

1 of Resolution360 (WRC-12):

The ship-borneautomaticidentificationsystem (AIS) mandated under

Chapter V

of theinternational convention for the

safety of life at sea (SOLAS)

has become well accepted by themaritime community and is

also

being used by thousands of ships not subject to the SOLASConvention.

Thissafety of navigation system operates in the VHF band and is used for vesselcollision avoidance as well as the delivery of information about specific details of a vessel.

AISis supported by a large shore based VHF infrastructure as well as being able tobe detectedby satellite.AIS is routinely used by ships for navigation

and crew familiarity is a positivefactor. AIS

messages can be sent with a priority #1 (highest) through #4 (lowest).

The AISVHF Data Link (VDL)

is designedmainlyfornavigation, with top priority onvesselcollision avoidance. The ships positions are continuously transmitted on theVDL

and the closershipshave thehighest

probability of reception. This ensures that, even during high VDLloading,

shipswill receive allposition reports

from the closest ships

but fewer position reports

fromthemore distant ships.

When the AIS VDL is used for datacommunications,it

cannot in the same way tolerate loss ofAIS messages. Higher load on theVDL

results in higher loss

of AIS messages, which results inhigher number of retransmissions. This willeventuallyresult in the breakdown of datacommunications on theAISVDL.

With increasing demand for maritime VHF data communications, AIS has become heavily used.The result is overloading of the existing AIS1 and AIS2 channels.

In regards toresolves2 of Resolution

360 (WRC-12):

Traditional communicationmethods (i.e. voice) could not adapted to the transfer of theinformation required to improve the safety of navigation in these conditions. More information(such as weather, ice charts, aids to navigation status and water levels) are required in real-time

to improve operational decisions on land and on ship that will lead to safer and more efficientvoyages.

Shore authorities have also demonstrated interest in increasing the quantity of informationretrieved from ships in real-time (such as voyage information, passenger manifest and pre-arrival reports).

As a result of these additional requirements on maritime communications, the channelsidentified by WRC-12in Appendix 18 would be used by maritime authorities across the worldto respond to increased datatransfer and improve maritime safety and efficiency in the growingmaritime environment.

A number of Administrations have implemented shore infrastructure for AIS. In addition, AISsignals can be detected by satellite.

WRC-12 defined some channels in Appendix 18 for digital communications and others for newAIS applications as summarized in below figure.

APG15-2/INP-54

Page4

of5

Preliminary View

-

New AIS:

The two channels 2027 and 2028 could be considered for introduction of new AIS applications,the usage of remainingchannels 1027 and 1028 should be taken into account.

-

VHF data communication:

WRC-12 specified 13 channels for VHF digital communications but only 6 channels areglobally harmonized. It should be considered the channels number24, 84, 25, 85, 26, 86

Wireless avionics intra-communications (WAIC) systemsmake use of radio communicationsbetween two or more stations on a single aircraft, consisting of on-board networks supportingthe operation of the aircraft and its systems. WAIC system transmissions may be included theinterior and/or exterior of the aircraft structure. For example, sensors mounted on the wings orengines could communicate with systems located within the airplane. WAIC technology willallow for better monitoring of the health or maintenance of the aircraft, and it could also lead toimproved aircraft manufacturing techniques. The combined effects of these changes mayprovide the opportunity for lower costs of operations and environmental benefits. WAICsystems will be used for safety-related aircraft applications, providing communications within asingle aircraft (i.e. WAIC systems do not provide communications between an aircraft and theground, another aircraft or a satellite).

Preliminary View

The ability to use WAIC communicationsystems is important to the civil aviation industry, butpresents a significant challenge given the global nature of air travel.

The technical,regulatoryand operationalactions should not put other aeronautical safetyservices at risk.

APG15-2/INP-54

Page5

of5

Compatibility andsharing studies need to be taken carefully to ensure no constrain is introducedto related terrestrial services.

___________

Agenda item 1.18

to consider a primary allocation to the radiolocation service for automotive applications in

the

77.5-78.0 GHz frequency band in accordance with Resolution654 (WRC-12)

76-81 GHz frequency band are allocated to the radio astronomy service, amateurand amateur-satellite andradiolocation services on a primary or secondary basis and to the spaceresearch (space-to-Earth) service on a secondary basis. At frequencies above 30 GHz, radiopropagation decreases more rapidly with distance than at lower frequencies and antennas thatcan narrowly focus transmitted energy are practical and of modest size. While the limited rangeof such transmissions might appear to be a major disadvantage for many applications, it doesallow the reuse of frequencies over very short distances and, thereby enables a higherconcentration of transmitters to be located in a geographical area than is possible at lowerfrequencies.

The attenuation of the transmissions, however, varies depending on the water vapor content ofthe atmosphere and other atmospheric factors.

There has been significant growth in the use of automobile radar systems, and these systems areexpected to become relatively commonplace within a few years because of consumer demandfor increased vehicle safety. Studies have shown that the use of collision avoidance technologycan prevent or lessen the severity of a significant number of traffic accidents. In certain parts ofthe world, automotive radars have successfully operated in this portion of the spectrum,particularly the 76-77 GHz band, for many years without mitigation methods or deactivationmethods and without increased reports of interference to licensed services.